Clutch



CLUTCH Original Filed May 28, 193? 2 Sheets-Sheet l N 39- J. F. STANDISHEl m.

CLUTCH Original Filed May 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 7,19139 ST'FES CLUTCH Original application May 28, 1937, Serial No.145,320. Divided and this application October 1, 1937, Serial No.166,863

15 Elaims.

This invention relates to clutches and is especially concerned withthose of the Horton type. The present case is a division of anapplication for improvements in Fastening-inserting ma- 5 chine, filedin our names in the United States Patent Office on May 28, 1937, withthe Serial No. 145,320.

An object of the invention is to improve generally the structure of suchclutches and, more 10 particularly, to stop the rotation of the elementdriven by the clutch at a definite point without substantial shock andby simple and compact controlling means. In the attainment of thisobject, there is combined with driving and driven connecting members aroll-cage and a wedgecage, with their rolls and wedges, said wedgeshaving at their opposite ends differently inclined faces, which renderthem reversible. The wedgecage is secured to one of the connectingmembers, and the rolls engage the other member and inclined ends oftheir respective wedges, while the opposite inclined Wedge-ends contactwith faces upon an abutment member. By virtue of the reversibility ofthe wedges, both ends may be utilized to receive the engagement of therolls, and thus the life of said wedges extended. The connectingmembers, regardless of the form of clutch in which they may be embodied,are movable relatively to each other, circumferentially of driving anddriven elements which they join, and a controlling member is movableupon one of the connecting members to clutch and unclutch them. Thiscontrolling member engages a contact memher to first unclutch theconnecting members and then to stop their rotation, the contact memberbeing preferably mounted to yield. 'Herein, the controlling member isshown as under the infiuence of a series of successively effectivelevers,

) all arranged upon a yieldable carrier-lever. Of this series, anactuating lever is movable by a member shifted by the operator andarranged to release itself, after it has functioned, from said member; alatching lever movable by the actui ating lever; and a third lever, uponwhich is the contact member more directly affecting the controllingmember of the clutch and normally maintained in activeclutch-disengaging position by the latching lever. When this unclutchingaction I occurs, the driven element is arrested in a predeterminedposition by the engagement of the controlling member with the contactmember, the shock being cushioned by the yield of the carrierlever withthe entire series of intermediate levers which it bears. A singlespring, joining the latching lever and contact-lever, may be caused toproduce certain movements of both.

The drawings illustrate one form of the clutch of this invention,

Fig. 1 being a side elevation, with parts broken 5 away; and

Fig. 2, a central, vertical, transverse section.

The clutch is of the Horton type, it being shown as having a ring 5%carried by a pulley 565 which furnishes the driving element, twining inthe di rection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Within the ring arearranged concentrically a roll-cage 592 and a wedge-cage 59 the formercage turning about the latter. The wedge-cage is keyed to a shaft I68,which is the driven element and is rotatable in a frame It. Free to playradially about the shaft is an abutment-ring 596 provided at itsperiphery with three inclined surfaces 598. With these surfaces contactcomplementally inclined surfaces upon wedge members Silt mounted to moveradially in ways in the cage 5%.

A projection 602 from the wedge-cage lies in an opening 604 in theabutment member with considerable clearance, holding these elements inapproximately the correct relation but with a 5 capacity for relativemovement. The outer ends of the wedges are inclined oppositely to theinner, so the surfaces converge, lying at substantially the same angleto a median plane, and engage rolls 6% movable radially in ways in thecage 592. Attached to the driving roll-cage by a pivot Slit is aclutch-lever 6H], which has toothed engagement at (5H2 with thewedge-cage which is to be driven. An expansion-spring 6M, interposedbetween the wedge-cage and the lever exerts a force tending tothrow aradially projecting end tit of said lever outwardly. When this ispermitted, relative movement between the roll-cage and wedge-cage iscaused by the engagement of the lever 6E0 with both. This results in theinner ends of the wedges being forced against the abutment-surfaces 598and the outer surfaces against the rolls 685, which are urged againstthe ring 59!]. The pulley 465 and shaft Hill are thus clutched together,so the shaft is driven. The abutment member 5% turns with the wedges.and its capacity for adjusting itself in all directions radially createsequal pressure of all the rolls upon the ring and insures uniformly firmengagement with minimum wear. When, in use, repeated driving contact ofthe rolls with the outer ends of the wedges deforms the latter, saidwedges, because of the inclination of both ends. may be reversed, andtheir life thus doubled.

The driving action of the clutch is normally prevented by holding theend 6K5 of the lever Ell! in against the force of the spring Bi l to soretain the cages that the wedges are out of clutching engagement.Fulcrumed at Bill on the frame I8 is a carrier-lever 626, which isnormally held against a bumper G22 backed by an adjusting screw 624threaded through the frame. The carrier-lever urge-cl against the bumperby an expansion-spring adjustable by a screw as to the force exerted.Supported by the carrierlever is a chain of three successively actinglevers. At its upper extremity, contact-lever 636 is pivoted, thishaving rotatable upon it a roll 63! drawn into the path of the lever-endBit by a tension-spring 632. This spring joins the lever 63b to alatching lever 63%, which turns about the pivot GM of the carrier-lever.The action of the spring 632 is to hold the lever E536 normally againsta stop 536 upon the carrier-lever, while the lever 634 is drawn againstthe lever Still at 638. Under these conditions, the roll GM of the lever63!! is in the path of the clutch-lever-end Elli. The clutch-lever isthereby held in to disengage the clutch. To withdraw the roll Gill andallow the spring GM to produce engagement of the clutch, an actuatinglever 64-2 is fulcrumed upon the carrier-lever 623. This lever 362 atits rear extremity has a rounded end occupying a depression in a short,forwardly extending arm or" the intermediate latching lever 63 1. Anopposite arm is arranged for engagement at its under side with ashoulder 6 M near the upper end of a bar 646 rising from anunillustrated treadle. The shoulder of the bar is drawn yieldablybeneath the lever against a bumper G ll upon the carrier-lever bill! bya tension-spring 548 connecting it to the frame. A screw 85%] threadedthrough a depending portion of the lever M7. bears against the bar belowthe shoulder to release the bar from actuating engagement with the leverwhen the latter is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in thedrawings.

Upon depression of the treadle, the bar El i-5i is elevated, and itsshoulder 13% turns the lever The 6G8 yields, allowing the bar to bedisplaced to the left by the screw 650, so the shoulder 65A isdisengaged from the lever (S42 and the clutch freed from control by thetreadle. During the elevation of the bar, the lever 63A is tiltedanticlockwise against the spring 632, so at it releases the lever Thislast-mentioned lever is now free to turn anticlockwise, such movementbeing very abruptly produced by the spring EH 3 overcoming the spring632. The lever therefore assumes a position in which the clutch isengaged by the relative rotary movement of the wedgeand roll-cages, sothe lever Bill in its revolution leaves the roll As soon as this occurs,and because the lever M2 has released itselif from the bar G lt, thelever may be turned against stop by the spring 632, and the lever 63:4shifted simultaneously to reestablish the engagement between the twolevers at The lever i and its roll 53! ar thereby locked in their normalrelation. The enga ement of the lever 63 with. the lever 662 hasreturned the latter to its initial position. As the clutch approachesthe end of its rotation, the edge 554 of the lever did strikes the rolland as a cam to gradually disengage the clutch. Before the lever-end 6E6reaches the roll, the engagement is completed, and the contact of theend with the roll stops the rotation of the shaft 58 at a definitepoint. The arresting en. age--- ment of the roll with. the lever-end iscushioned by the rotation of the entire controlling lever-system, thecarrier-lever 62D yielding against the spring which then restores it toits initial position against the bumper 622. A brake may exert aconstant retarding eliect upon the shaft 568 in the customary manner, toassist in bringit promptly to rest. when the operator releases thetreadle, the clutch-controlling system is restored to normal, thesT-rlng carrying the bar G lli against the stop-screw as the shoulder ofsaid bar assumes its initial position below the lever 6G2.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United St tes is:

1. 61 ch mech comprising a driving member and a driven member, aroll-cage and a wedge-cage situated between me. hers, rolls andco-operating wedges carried by the r pective cages, each wedge having atits ends inclined faces and being reversible, there being a rollarranged for engagement with an inclined end of each wedge and with oneoi the 1' n1 the wedge-cage being secured to the other of memb rs, andan abutment member having a face with which the other inclined end ofeach wedge contacts.

2. Clutch mechanism comprising a driving member and a driven member, aroll-cage and a wedge-cage situated between :leznbers, rolls andco-operat g carried by the respective cages, each wedge having at itsends 20-- sitely inclined converging laces and being leversible, therebeing a roll arranged for ens eement with the outer inclined of each 5eand with one of the members, the wedgeage being secured to the other ofin hers, and an abutmen -nember having with which the inner inclinedends of the wedges contact.

3. Clutch mecl'ianism ccmp driving element and rotate a connecting mes.s b I ing members movable relatively to eacl. curnferentially of theelements, a controlling member movable upon one the members to clutcnand unclutch inc and a contact member by the control ling member tofirst unclutch the connecting members and then to positively stop hcirrota-- tion at a predetermined point.

4. Clutch mechanisn'l comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one oi the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members, and a contact memberengaged by the oont ling menber to first unclutch the connecting membersand then to stop their rotation, the contact member being mounted toyield up. engagement.

5. Clutch mechanism comprising a ro atable driving element a rotatabledriven element, connecting means between the elements includmembersmovable relatively to each other rier member toward the stop andyielding upon engagement of the controlling member with the contactmember.

6. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circurnierentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members, a contact-lever movableinto and out of the path of the controlling member, a latching lever bywhich the contact-lever is retained normally in its active position, anda spring joining the corn tact-lever and the latching lever.

7. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said connecting members, a contact-levermovable into and out of the path of the controlling member, a latchinglever by which the contact-lever is retained normally in its activeposition, a spring connecting the latching lever and the contactleverand drawing said levers together, and a stop against which the springdraws the contact-lever.

8. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members, a contact-lever movableinto and out of the path of the controlling member, a spring normallyurging the contact-lever toward the path of the controlling lever, and aspring acting upon the controlling member and being of sufiicientstrength to overcome the force of the contactlever-spring.

9. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and. unclutch said members, a contact-lever movableinto and out of the path of the controlling member, a latching lever bywhich the contact-lever is retained normally in its active position, anda yieldable carrier-lever upon which the contact-lever and latchinglever are mounted.

10. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch the connecting members, a contact-levermovable into and out of the path of the controlling member, a latchinglever by the contact-lever is retained normally in its active position,a member movable by the operator, and an actuating lever movable by suchmember and having engagement with the latching lever to release thecontact-lever.

11. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumierentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and. unclutch said members, a contact-lever movableinto and out of the path of the controlling member, a latching lever bywhich the contact-lever is retained normally in its active position, amember movable by the operator, and an actuating lever movable by saidmember and having engagement with the latching lever to release thecontact-lever, the actuating lever upon movement acting upon theoperatorcontrolled member to free itself therefrom.

l2. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the members toclutch and unclutch said members, a contactlever movable into and out ofthe path of the controlling member, a latching lever by which thecontact-lever is retained normally in its active position, an actuatinglever for the latching lever, and a yieldable carrier upon which thethree levers are mounted.

13. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable riving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling member movable upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members and provided with acam-surface and a projection, and a contact member first engaged by thecam-surface of the controlling member to unclutch the connecting membersand thereafter engaged by the projection to stop their rotation.

14. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling lever fulcrumed upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members, said lever having toothedengagement with the other connecting member, and a contact memberongaged by the lever to first unclutch the connecting members and thento stop their rotation.

15. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotatable driving element and arotatable driven element, connecting means between the elementsincluding members movable relatively to each other circumferentially ofthe elements, a controlling lever fulcrumed upon one of the connectingmembers to clutch and unclutch said members, said lever being providedwith a cam-edge and with a projecting extremity, and a contact memberengaged successively by the cam-edge of the lever and by its projection.

JOHN F. STANDISH. LESTER S. MACDONALD.

